Property developer I-Bhd has partnered with Huawei, a leading information and communications technology solutions provider, to develop its Smart City and Internet of Things (IoT)-ready home concept.

I-Bhd deputy chairman Eu Hong Chew said that IoT was the way forward and it only made sense for the company to start planning from now to make homes IoT-ready.

“Our Converse @i-City, a high-end residential targeted to be launched by early 2017, will showcase the next phase of i-City’s Smart City concept and the units will be IoT-ready,” Eu told reporters after signing the agreement with Huawei South Pacific region chief marketing officer Lim Chee Siong at the i-Gallery @ i-City on 20 September 2016.

Eu said that the technology scene was expected to evolve in the next few years and it was pertinent for its infrastructure to be relevant and future-proof.

“We will be working with Huawei for the next five years, but I believe that this partnership will be renewed after that as we go along in developing the IoT concept.

“We are confident that as technology evolves, there will be more solutions to develop and this tie-up will enable us to focus on property development while harnessing the technological strengths of Huawei,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Madius welcomed I-Bhd’s move to develop IoT-ready homes, as it demonstrated the Government’s efforts to adopt IoT. He encouraged other developers to follow in I-Bhd’s innovation to pave the way towards greener and cleaner homes. i-City’s strategic partnership with Huawei will focus on upgrading its connectivity infrastructure.

It would also feature a common smart city platform for solutions such as street lignting, traffic management and parking, in line with i-City’s role in providing township services.

“We are confident that as technology evolves, there will be more solutions to make homes IoT-ready," Eu said. Huawei’s Chee Siong said that the company had been investing not less than 10% of its revenue in research and development to ensure that its technology fulfilled customers’ needs.